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THE IDOLM@STER/History
This page contains all the information on the history of PROJECT IM@S, from the development of the arcade game until now. 2001 Sep. 2001= As new arcade technology, such as the progress-saving magnetic stripe cards, was being developed, a new project using a "Rewritable Stage" cabinet was green-lit by NAMCO in September 2001. The first game released for the project was Dragon Chronicle. For the second game in the project, galgame motif was decided, as games like Tokimeki Memorial and Sakura Wars were in their peak. As the project began, various themes like female professional wrestling and women's volleyball were thrown around to fit with the competitive nature of arcade games, however with the popularity of the TV program "ASAYAN", and idol theme was chosen. |-| Oct. 2001= As they furthered the design of the game, they decided that players would take the place of the idol's manager. They would also take advantage of the cabinet's touchscreen, online battles, and mobile phone linking. 2002 Feb. 2002= Haruka Amami Initial Design.jpg|Haruka Amami's Initial Design Chihaya Kisaragi Initial Design.jpg|Chihaya Kisaragi's Initial Design With the premise chosen, Toshiyuki Kubooka began to design the characters. After the initial designs of Haruka and Chihaya, they decided to make characters whose silhouettes would be unique and distinguishable. From there, a total of twelve idols were designed: *Haruka Amami *Chihaya Kisaragi *Yukiho Hagiwara (formerly Megumi Hagiwara) *Makoto Kikuchi *Yayoi Takatsuki *Iori Minase *Ami and Mami Futami *Azusa Miura *Ritsuko Akizuki *Takane Shijou *Hibiki GanahaTakane and Hibiki didn't end up in the arcade game, due to space limitations. |-| Jul. 2002= They planned to use 2D animation for the game, however due to the expenses required, it was switched to 3D animation. As a trial model, Miku Kanzaki of Seishun Quiz Colorful High School was created. With the success of the trial model, Haruka's model was created. In order to create a proper prototype, Haruka's voice actor was chosen in advance, rookie voice actor Eriko Nakamura. |-| Sep. 2002= THE IDOLM@STER Arcade Prototype Stand.jpg|Vertical Stand THE IDOLM@STER Arcade Prototype Cabinet.jpg|Prototype Cabinet With the created prototype, the first time it was shown to the public at the 40th Japan Amusement Expo with the tentative name "Idol Game"ARCADIAMAGAZINE.com 40th Japan Amusement Expo Game List. The only changes to game thus far were changing the player's role from manager to producer, and the game was only 2% complete. First opinions on the game were positive, as many enjoyed the game's rendering style and were excited for it's release. However, they were skeptical of the game's sales due to its large casingGAMEWatch 40th Japan Amusement Expo Article. |-| Nov. 2002= In NAMCO's 39th edition of their PR brochure, "NOURS", the game was included in the section titled "Namco Gals History". It featured the initial character designs and the game's premises. |-| Dec. 2002= With the characters and premise decided, it was time to find the remaining voice actresses for the idols. The process had two parts: Speaking and Singing. Since Eriko Nakamura had already passed the speaking portion, she was only screened for the singing portion. Nakamura passed the singing portion, and the remaining nine voice actresses were chosen: *Eriko Nakamura (Haruka Amami) *Asami Imai (Chihaya Kisaragi) *Yurina Hase (Yukiho Hagiwara) *Hiromi Hirata (Makoto Kikuchi) *Mayako Nigo (Yayoi Takatsuki) *Rie Kugimiya (Iori Minase) *Asami Shimoda (Ami and Mami Futami) *Chiaki Takahashi (Azusa Miura) *Naomi Wakabayashi (Ritsuko Akizuki) NAMCO began to work on the music for the game, with Hiroto Sasaki serving as sound director. 2003 Feb. 2003= Due to the large amount of song recordings needed, the songs were split into two parts. The first part consisted of Taiyou no Jealousy, Aoi Tori, Here we go!!, 9:02pm, and Ohayou!! Asagohan. At the time, Asami Shimoda was still a high school student and traveled from her family home in Tottori prefecture to the recording studio. |-| Apr. 2003= Audio recording for game scenarios began. |-| May 2003= On May 8, 2003, the game title of was trademarked. |-| Jun. 2003= The second part of song recording began. It consisted of THE IDOLM@STER, First Stage, Positive!, Agent Yoru o Yuku, and Mahou o Kakete!. While not a part of the initial song lineup, THE IDOLM@STER was requested to be the game's theme song. |-| Sep. 2003= The game made an appearance at the 41st Japan Amusement Expo, however instead of the cabinet it showed a promotional video that previewed the song THE IDOLM@STER, gameplay, and in-game images. On September 12, Eriko Nakamura announced her role as Haruka Amami on the 33rd episode of her radio show, . On September 24, The web show , which featured Eriko Nakamura and Chiaki Takahashi, did a feature on the game as well on their second episode. They played the 41st Japan Amusement Expo PV, introduced their characters,and showed off a poster featuring all the characters, saying the game was "COMING SOON!!". The magazine "Monthly Arcadia" also provided information of the game on their Septemeber 2003 issue. |-| Oct. 2003= Eriko Nakamura previewed Taiyou no Jealousy during her 36th episode of her radio show, . |-| Dec. 2003= On December 25, Eriko Nakamura, Asami Imai, and Yurina Hase appeared on the Christmas special, "Rajinyo" They introduced the game, their characers, and performed THE IDOLM@STER. On December 26, 2003, the game title is trademarked. 2004 Jan. 2004= On January 17, at Anime Expo Tokyo, the web show "Agu" broadcast a mini-live performed by Eriko Nakamura and Asami Imai, with information about the game being presented by Sasaki Otatsuki and Asami Shimoda. Nakamura performed Taiyou no Jealousy, Imai performed Aoi Tori, and together, they performed THE IDOLM@STER. |-| Feb. 2004= ITMedia AOU2004 THE IDOLM@STER Arcade.jpg GameWatch AOU2004 THE IDOLM@STER Arcade 1.jpg GameWatch AOU2004 THE IDOLM@STER Arcade 2.jpg Famitsu AOU2004 THE IDOLM@STER Arcade.jpg Dengenki Online AOU2004 THE IDOLM@STER Arcade 1.jpg Dengenki Online AOU2004 THE IDOLM@STER Arcade 2.jpg THE IDOLM@STER made an appearance at the NAMCO booth for Amusement Expo 2004ARCADIAMAGAZINE.com Amusement Expo 2004. It wasn't the main focus, but more of a reference to show the development. At this point in time, the game was only 20% complete. |-| Mar. 2004= GameWatch THE IDOLM@STER Arcade THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition 1.jpg GameWatch THE IDOLM@STER Arcade THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition 3.jpg GameWatch THE IDOLM@STER Arcade THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition 4.jpg GameWatch THE IDOLM@STER Arcade THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition 5.jpg A limited time website for the game, titled "THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition", opened on March 30, 2004Web Archive - THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition. It provided an introduction to the game, promotional videos, and a way to submit feedbackGAMEWatch Article - "Namco, AC "THE IDOLM@STER" limited time special site, Looking For Opinions At "THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition" !!" Information about the game was also included in "Monthly Arcadia"'s May 2004 issueARCADIAMAGAZINE.com - Monthly Arcadia May Issue (No.48). |-| Jun. 2004= "THE IDOLM@STER WEB pre-debut edition" is closed on June 8, 2004. |-| Sep. 2004= GameWatch THE IDOLM@STER Arcade THE IDOLM@STER WEB 1.jpg 42nd Japan Amusement Expo First Playtest Postcard Front.jpg|Card (Front) 42nd Japan Amusement Expo First Playtest Postcard Back.jpg|Card (Back) On September 1, the official site, "THE IDOLM@STER WEB" was openedGAMEWatch Article - Namco, AC THE IDOLM@STER Official website published THE IDOLM@STER WEB. This site included new information not included on the pre-debut site, such as a Q&A section and the "Notice of Urgent Producer Recruitment". The game also made another appearance at the 42nd Japan Amusement Expo. At this event, they showcased the continues play feature with the rewritable cards, the photoshoot functions, and more. They also passed out cards for an event in November that could be used for a special pair of earbudsITmedia - COBRA, Idols, Druaga!? NAMCO's New Work At AM Show. Eriko Nakamura, Asami Imai, and Prince MOS did sections on THE IDOLM@STER on the 20th and 21st episode of the web show, "PreStar". The 20th episode detailed information revealed at 42nd Japan Amusement ExpoPreStar Episode 20, and the 21st had a scenario for Haruka and ChihayaPreStar Episode 21. |-| Oct. 2004= |-| Nov. 2004= |-| Dec. 2004= October 2004 When showing "Monthly Arcadia"'s December 2004 issue at a playtest in November, they could also be used to get one of the earbudsARCADIAMAGAZINE.com - Monthly Arcadia December Issue (No.55). November 2004 On November 15, 2004, PreStar's 28th episode, while containing anything related to the game, had a bit that was referenced in the later TV Anime 15th episode, "Everyone Together, It's A Live Broadcast! A Live Broadcast!"PreStar Episode 28 (see 38:00). December 2004 On December 10, 2004, a trial version of the game, titled "THE IDOLM@STER Trial Version Chobit" was released on the official site. It showcased the communication feature, selecting an idol to produce, and the initial meeting. The game also began its playtesting with eight locations in Nakano (Tokyo) and four in Tsurumi (Kanagawa) from December 17th to the 19th. If someone attending received a card from the 42nd Japan Amusement Expo or brought their copy of "Monthly Arcadia"'s December 2004 issue, they would receive a special pair of earbuds. Asami Shimoda also made an appearance in the Nakano location. To commemorate the first playtest, a free mini-live was hosted as a special episode of PreStar. With appearances from Eriko Nakamura, Asami Imai, Naomi Wakabayashi, and Asami Shimoda, they sang their character's respective image songs and did a group version of THE IDOLM@STER. References and Notes Category:THE IDOLM@STER